Technology News

  The governor of Sri Lanka's central bank, Nandalal Weerasinghe, has warned that the country may shut down if no stable government is formed soon. There is a "lot of uncertainty" over whether enough foreign exchange can be found to pay for essential petroleum, he told the BBC's Newsnight programme. Progress on getting an international bailout package depended on having a stable administration, he said. The country is in the grip of mass unrest over an economic crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled abroad  and acting president Ranil Wickremesinghe has imposed a curfew for a second day. Sri Lanka has seen its economy collapse and the cost of food, fuel and other basic supplies skyrocket for ordinary people. Many blame the Rajapaksa administration for mishandling the crisis and see Mr Wickremesinghe, who became prime minister in May, as part of the problem. Nandalal Weerasinghe, who himself only took over as governor of the central bank in April, said he did not...

  Billionaire Bill Gates has pledged again to give his wealth away, adding that he will eventually "drop off" the world's rich list. It came as the Microsoft co-founder announced he would make a $20bn (£17bn) donation to his philanthropic fund. The world's fourth richest man said he had an "obligation" to return his resources to society. Mr Gates first pledged to give away his wealth in 2010 but his net worth has more than doubled since then. He is currently worth $118bn, according to Forbes magazine, but that will fall significantly after his donation in July to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charitable fund he set up with his ex-wife in 2000. In a Twitter thread, Mr Gates said the foundation would boost its spending from $6bn a year to $9bn by 2026 due to recent "global setbacks" including the pandemic, Ukraine and the climate crisis. "As I look to the future, I plan to give virtually all of my wealth to the foundation," h...